Today is the funeral for my friend Chenda. I have shared this story many times. She walked into our church, West Mobile Baptist Church, with one of her sons during our Bible study (Sunday School) time. This was before our church had regular security and deacons on duty in our foyer so I usually stayed in the foyer during that time to be available for those who walked in or to handle anything that might arise. But they walked in at 10:30, only about 20 minutes before groups would dismiss and church would not begin until 11:00.

I didn't want them to just sit for 30 minutes so I asked them if they wanted a tour of the church. So we walked around and took a tour. During that time she told me that when they had lived in another state, after her family had been resettled here from Cambodia, she attended church, believed in God and was baptized but when they moved to Alabama, she never really started back going to church. She realized her boys, who had grown up here, did not attend church so didn't know God like she did. 

What impressed me was her questions. She wanted to make sure our church believed the Bible. Here are some of her questions and if you know me, you know how I answered: 

You do believe Jesus is God, right?  You teach the Bible just like it is written?  That Jesus died on the cross for our sin and rose again? That we have to surrender to Jesus and follow Him, right?

I have forgotten more that she said but it blessed me that before she even sat through one sermon, she was checking up on our church to be sure we believed the Bible. 

I took Chenda the next week to Sandy Wingate's ladies class because Sandy had lived overseas for 16 years and handled newcomers so beautifully. I knew the ladies would love her and help her get settled in at our church and they did. She attended for the last 9 years of her life. Three of her boys trusted Christ and were baptized at WEMO. 

This photo shows Chenda and Dolores (who passed in 2024) at the door of their church classroom after they helped decorate it for our Trunk or Treat. They are both in heaven and ironically they were two of the youngest members of that class. It is a mixed age ladies class and several members are in their 80's. 

Chenda, you will be missed at WEMO.

 Afraid Of All the Things is a book I didn’t want to like. That may sound strange, but anxiety and worry is real. I was sure it would be full of platitudes and scripture references that would be an attempt to keep me from anxiety. What the book was: real life by Scarlet Hiltibidal. She used her own experiences and life with anxiety to help me, the one who didn’t want to like her book, like her book. The most important part is she follows Jesus and that is the key to fighting anxiety—the most important part. You should read it if you struggle with anxiety and worry. 

I listened to the audio version which I prefer in this book because it is written from her perspective using her experiences. 

A Wonderful Addition to Your Child's Library

  

This is a book that will help you talk to your children about prayer through the experiences of Hunter, the little boy in the book. The “God is great, God is good” prayer is easily learned, but often children just repeat it without understanding it. This book opens up that conversation at their level to pray and learn about God. Children are spiritually sensitive and will enjoy the story and the content.  

Unbrushed Teeth? No Problem

 Unbrushed teeth? No Problem

 

When our children are young, we have to brush their teeth for them. Eventually, we teach them how so they can accomplish the task themselves. However, we still remind or check to make sure it is done. What would it be like to run into an adult who decides they just can’t find the time to brush their teeth and don’t bother with it? 

 

At first, only the people really close to them would notice. But over time, it would become apparent to others in contact with them. Maybe there would be whispers of “Why?” or a hesitation to say something for fear of embarrassing them. However, at some point in their future, they will have a toothache or other dental problem that will demand attention and either they will lose teeth or have it taken care of. Either way, they will need to start brushing their teeth or continue to have future problems.

 

Are you a little put off by that illustration? It is a personal decision but it is one that can impact your entire life. Think about this. You are a follower of Jesus and have been given or have purchased a Bible to read and study. You periodically have a preacher or teacher tell you it is important to read and study. You intend to do it, but just can’t find the time. Life is so busy.

 

One day a crisis hits your life. It could be a doctor’s diagnosis or a failing marriage. Maybe a child is acting out or a loved one dies. Now you have a problem that demands your attention and you look for that Bible that “lives” under the seat in your car. You search for answers, for comfort, for direction. But it is such a hard book to read and you find it difficult to get a clear direction. You are a newbie in Bible reading while facing the crisis, without the knowledge and experience that would help you find answers.

 

This is why people who care about you in your church family implore you to read and study your Bible every day. For you to be able to face that future day of stress or trauma, you can prepare for it today. Just like brushing your teeth everyday can prevent cavities and tooth loss, studying your Bible regularly gives you the spiritual foundation you need to weather the storms life brings.

 

Can you manage your time to do that? It is important.

Photo by Shalev Cohen on Unsplash

 Mama’s Pocketbook

 

My mama passed away in October of 2020. With Easter here, I have so many memories. My mama worked full-time up until she retired at 62. She had some difficult and tiring jobs. But she came home and made dinner every night. She got up early and cooked breakfast every morning. She sewed our dresses and play clothes even into our adult years. I had several fully-lined suits that she made. 

 

Mama always dyed Easter eggs with us and put them in our baskets. We used the same basket every year. We hid those same eggs over and over until they were lost or eaten. I remember eating one boiled egg about a week later that tasted funny.  It’s a miracle I didn’t make myself sick.

 

When mama passed away, I cleaned out her last purse. She never called it that. It was her pocketbook. My childhood memories are of where to find peppermints and a dime. If we needed a tissue. She had one. Aspirin? It was in there. 

 

Her last purse still had her comb, address book, wallet, calendar, and a nail file. There were some peppermints still in there. If you needed something or had a problem, it could often be solved by opening her pocketbook.

 

My mama had a stroke and Alzheimer’s throughout the brain diagnosed several years before her passing. Although she already was declining, it wasn’t until her stroke in July of 2020 that “everything was different” in my Daddy’s words. She never again cooked a meal, sewed a button, used the tv remote, or opened the refrigerator. She still could walk and talk, but much less. 

 

Her pocketbook still went with her up until she used a wheelchair. She would leave it behind often but it went anyway. After she was gone, I sat in her den and went through it with family sitting around. Daddy wanted to keep her wallet, but I partially emptied the purse and took it home with me. Amazingly, we had almost matching tastes in pocketbooks. On several occasions when I visited, we would get ours mixed up.

 

The peppermints weren’t good anymore and the nail file was ancient. She had carried that same one for many years. One time we were all at a Boy Scout event and they had inspection—one by one the boys sat down as scouts were tapped as the best in their den. Then, finally, there were two and my brother was one of them. Evans Scoggins, Scoutmaster, looked them over good and looked flummoxed at a decision. Finally, he said, “Let me see your fingernails.” They held their hands out and my brother was declared the winner. Mama would never let him stand inspection with dirty fingernails.

 

I found two pocket calendars spanning 2015-2018. That was where she kept up with everyone’s birthdate, doctor’s appointments, and death dates. I guess when you are in your 80’s you lose a lot of friends and relatives and she kept up with details like that. In 2015 she had marked her own birthday with “me” and “82.” On May 5^th of 2017^th she marked anniversary “us, 66.” She marked events attended like graduations, weddings, or showers. She even marked when she talked to her further away grandchildren or when the first tomato came in the garden.  Visits with grandchildren or special events like “fireworks,” were written. Every hair permanent and B12 shot was in there to remind her. 

 

The last year she kept a calendar was 2018—it was still in her pocketbook. The only entries after the 1^st of July were birthdays that had all been written in red pen all at once at the beginning of the year. All the other days are blank. The calendar stayed in her purse until her death. None of us wanted to dismantle it with her still here. She didn’t use it, but it was hers. 

 

Death is final when it comes to the things of this world. Mama won’t need any more B12 shots or a hair appointment. The pocketbook is a reminder that this life isn’t all there is and we shouldn’t put too much value on it above the life to come. 

 

Easter is a reminder of the hope that I will see my mama again. We can never know whether someone is a true follower of Christ. But we can look to see if there is spiritual fruit in their lives. How did they treat other people? Was there unconditional love? Was there grace when it was undeserved, or joy even during tough times? I saw all of those in mama. 

 

The Bible tells us in John 3:6-7 that “whatever is born of the flesh is flesh.” My mama lived on earth in the flesh for 87 years. When she breathed her last, her flesh was dead, but her Spirit lived on because she was born of the Spirit too.  Jesus said, “Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. . . you must be born again.”

 

Because of Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ from the dead, when Jesus conquered death once for all, those who are born again “will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

 

You can’t take your pocketbook with you, or anything else. It is just you standing before God. If you haven’t surrendered your life to him, you can do it too.

 Preparing to Begin to Read the Bible in 2021

 

We are two days away from beginning your reading plan on January first. You can have more success in completing the reading from day one with some thought given to it ahead of time. 

 

1.     Plan: – we have provided that for you (check the page on the church website). Think about what time of day you will try to read every day so that you are less likely to be interrupted and it will not be forgotten. It can be first thing in the morning, during your lunch break, or after you eat dinner. Work it into your regular routine and over time it will become a habit. 

 

2.     Place: You will have more success if you prepare the place where you will read ahead of time. Have your Bible, computer, or phone with a favorite chair or quiet place gives some routine with everything waiting for you. You may want to add a notebook or journal to keep your printed plan and to write any impressions you get from reading. If you read at work, make sure you have the items you need there. If you are reading at work, what will you do on your days off?

 

3.     Purpose: Just like any new behavior--starting an exercise routine, cooking a new recipe, or repairing a vehicle—you will likely hit some problems. The goal is transformation through the Holy Spirit that will enliven the truth of scripture in your life as you read. Don’t let anything keep you from allowing God to transform your life. 

 

4.     Perseverance: Keep going. Realize there will be difficult or frustrating days, but keep reading with expectancy looking for what God wants to teach you.

 

The best way to keep up is to not get behind. Anytime you are behind, think of a way you can devote a few extra minutes to catch back up. Give this some thought and make your own plan for joining us in reading the Bible every day in 2021. 

 

Homeschooling on Short Notice?

How to Homeschool on Short-Notice

Donna J. Wright

My first knowledge of homeschooling was during a visit to Dahlonega, Georgia where we ate at Smith House. They seat family style with anyone who walks in. We ate with a mother and her daughter who were at North Georgia College (now North Georgia University) for a piano competition. She explained homeschooling to us and we were interested but not sold on it.

Another time happened when my oldest child was nearing kindergarten age. Along with several other moms from our church, we attended a public school informational meeting where they explained early elementary teaching methods and curriculum. I left after the meeting and was informed by the other moms later that they had decided I should homeschool their kids. We laughed together, but we had a decision to make.

Because we were moving school districts in the middle of Jason’s kindergarten year, I decided to homeschool him. I purchased Sing, Spell, Read & Write and proceeded to use it along with other activities on my own. Our 3-year-old insisted on sitting in on every lesson and we had a successful year. 

Jason began public school the following year and he was not yet a reader. I was a little concerned because although he loved books at home, he was not interested in the readers they had at school. In October and November, we had to put him on temporary homeschool status while his Dad had a sabbatical at Oxford University in England. We packed up his school books and off we went. We did a lot of touring and Jason was particularly interested in the road mileage signs and the maps we were handed at tourist sites. Although not really reading, he spent a lot of time figuring out the words. Maps were his motivation for learning to read we discovered.

When he returned to first grade, he came home to announce that the class had not gotten to where he was in math yet (his teacher had told me how much to complete during his absence). His teacher also asked me what I had done in those two months. I asked what did she mean and she said, “He is reading so much better than he was when you left. I'm amazed.” Jason had started to read when he found something he really wanted to read: maps.

About 6 years later, our daughter Amy announced to us that she had learned to read as a 3-year-old when she watched me teach Jason. She was reading when she entered kindergarten and I wasn’t sure how she learned to read until she told us years later. I learned that you can teach kids exactly the same but they will proceed to learn it at different speeds and are motivated in their own unique ways.

What does this mean for you if you are now homeschooling because of COVID-19? Here are my tips. If you want more, ask, and I will do another blog.

1.     Don’t try to do it exactly the way they do it in the classroom.

It is homeschool and your environment and number of students is very different from a classroom. Some kids will catch it with very little explanation and others ask a lot of questions, while others will guess. Some like activity sheets and some will detest them. 

2.     Make assignments and check their work every day. Kids are children. They will do what comes naturally and avoid the difficult. They will also hurry through it so they can do something else. If you do not check their work, they will be behind and will know you aren’t paying attention.

3.     Celebrate the wins. Homeschooling can be a lot of fun. Provide lots of encouragement and variety. You can do more fun activities with two or three children than you can do with a classroom full. Learning fractions? Have them figure out how to half or double a recipe of cookie dough. Let them pick up the mail and read some of it to you for practice.

4.     Individualized learning is now easier to do. Your children are different and will thrive in their own way. My daughter wanted a desk and a quiet room to work. My son wanted to work in a different room every day and noise did not bother him. If there was no noise, he made some. These two children did not thrive doing school in the same room. I put my son’s books in a laundry basket and he moved around. 

5.     Don’t bribe too much. Sometimes it can be tempting to offer a reward for every bit of work done. If you start this, it is hard to keep doing it. Remind them their brain belongs to them and they need to fill it with good knowledge they will have for the rest of their lives. Their education is something that will benefit them from now on.

6.     Teach some home skills. Having your children at home is a great time for them to learn to do their own laundry, cook a simple dish, or peel an apple. Skills like this will benefit them every single day. We made bread one day and I gave my daughter P.E. credit because it was a great arm exercise.

7.     Play. I don’t mean video games or anything sedentary. Figure out how to build a bowling alley in the yard. Dig out a marble racetrack on the side of a ditch. Take a walk and pick wildflowers. Look at the clouds and figure out what kind they are. Make mud pies. Jump rope or ride bikes. 

8.     Use your curriculum. Sometimes it can be tempting to ditch the assignments. Don’t do it. Your child will re-enter a classroom at some point and you don’t want a gap in their education. Curriculum provides age-appropriate material, packaged in the correct amounts. Someone with particular skills and experience worked to write it so why reinvent it?

9.     Read to your child or listen together to some great stories. To be a learner, your child needs to read. Getting interested in reading and encouraging it will serve your child well in any subject area. Look for some books to read aloud and provide audio books.

.  Arrange to do the most difficult subjects during your child’s “prime time.” Figure out when they are the most alert with the most energy and then do their hardest subject then. 

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Our children went to public school for a total of six years combined and we homeschooled the rest of the way through high school. Our daughter has an MBA and is employed using her degree and our son is in the dissertation stage for his Ph.D. At some point, they chose to learn for themselves without depending upon me. Don’t panic about COVID-19; look at it as an opportunity to enliven their educational experience.

[The photo shows us on a double-decker bus tour in England with Jason reading the map, circa 1995.]